DISINFO: The EU should stop Kyiv from committing war crimes
SUMMARY
Brussels can force the Kyiv authorities to stop the mass shelling of Donbas settlements and other gross violations of international humanitarian law. The EU officials ignore the many war crimes committed by Ukrainian security forces and openly support Russophobia.
RESPONSE
This pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative is about alleged war crimes of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The article also claims that the EU regularly overlooks these alleged war crimes and openly supports Russophobia. By blaming civilian casualties on Ukraine, these claims try to divert attention from the responsibility of Russian forces.
In reality, there is no evidence that Ukrainian forces are shelling Donbas or perpetrating war crimes. Reports from international organisations monitoring the war are reporting that most of the civilian casualties are happening on territories controlled by Ukrainian forces, thus it is mostly in consequence of Russian attacks. Russia’s invading forces regularly install their positions in densely populated places. Russian troops are heavily shelling and bombing residential areas, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, orphanages, churches and other civilian objects.
In fact, Russian forces regularly target civilian objects. This resulted in significant casualties and Russian soldiers seem to have committed war crimes in Ukraine, by executing hundreds of civilians. From 24 February until midnight on 20 April, the UN has documented and verified 5,264 civilian casualties – 2,345 killed and 2,919 injured. Of these, 92.3 per cent (2,266 killed and 2,593 injured) were recorded in Government-controlled territory. Some 7.7 per cent of casualties (79 killed and 326 injured) were recorded in Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups.
“We know the actual numbers are going to be much higher as the horrors inflicted in areas of intense fighting, such as Mariupol, come to light,” the UN Human Rights Chief said. Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by Russian forces with the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems and airstrikes.
The EU is also working extensively with local authorities and international organisations to investigate cases of possible war crimes. The European Union has condemned in the strongest possible terms the reported atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces. The EU called for accountability for human rights and international law violations by the Russian Armed Forces, including full support for the investigation launched by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Read more about the EU's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
See similar disinformation claimes here: Ukrainian Fascists Shelled The Kramatorsk Railway Station With A "Tochka U" Missile System, Ukraine Is Responsible For The Tochka-U-Missile Attack On Kramatorsk Railway Station, Ukrainian nationalists don't let civilians evacuate and use them as a human shield.